Maria Magdalena Church, today St Nicolai’s Church

Maria Magdalena Church, today St Nicolai’s Church

Maria Magdalena was Arboga’s first stone church from the latter part of the 12th century. It was originally consecrated in the name of Peter and Paul and was in Romanesque style, and the location was carefully selected on high ground. The building was originally a hall church which had nave-aisles added later in the north and the south. The original short Romanesque tower was later added to and a high spire was erected on top during the 17th century. The quire was originally an apse, a half-round termination where the altar is located in many medieval churches. The winged altarpiece is from the sixteenth century and was made in Germany. When Gustav Vasa determined which churches would continue to serve after the Reformation in 1529, Maria Magdalena became a country church in the new parish system and was called Uppkyrkan. Parishioners later renamed the church St. Nicolai. On one stormy night in 1889, the high spire fell to the ground and after that the original tower shape was reinstated.